A New Beginning:  DH spoiler warning
by CyanideFirefly
Summary: After Deathly Hallows. Albus Potter has followed his brother James to Hogwarts, and is already having a blast at his new school. Making new friends, discovering more magic, and having fun, Albus never expects what is about to happen. Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1: Sorting

**CHAPTER ONE / PROLOGUE. ALBUS'S POINT OF VIEW. **

Albus felt a cold shiver run along his spine as he stood, huddled in the Great Hall along with the other first years, waiting to be sorted. His hands were fidgeting nervously, and his emerald-green eyes stared meekly up at the tattered Sorting Hat. It was currently resting on a young girl, her toffee eyes wide with fright and anticipation. The young boy had missed her name; he had been too consumed in worrying about his own house. His brother James was in Gryffindor, so it only seemed likely that he should follow. Not to mention both his parents had been in the house of the brave, as well as most family friends and relatives. What would happen if he didn't follow them in becoming a Gryffindor? Would he be an outcast, made fun of?

His father had said that it would be fine if Albus was sorted into another house, but the small boy was not convinced. After all, Uncle Ron had joked about disinheriting Hugo if he was not put into the same house as his father. Sure, he might have _sounded_ like he'd been joking, but still the words wove a certain edge of fear into Albus. Bright green eyes flickered from the toffee-eyed girl, who had been put into Hufflepuff, to his cousin Rose; Albus gave a small sniff. Rose turned to him and smiled weakly, apparently worrying about the same thing. Returning the vague gesture, Albus once again began to dread the moment his name was called.

When it finally did happen, the small boy didn't even notice; he was still lost in thoughts of being in a house other than Gryffindor. The headmistress called his name out again when he did not come the first time, her words sharp. Snapping back into reality, Albus looked up and began to walk toward the Sorting Hat, a blush creeping onto his features. All through the Hall, students were snickering under their breath. Already, it seemed, he had made a fool of himself. Professor McGonagall gave him a strict look as he sat on the small stool, but she said nothing. Green eyes staring out at all the students in the Hall like a rabbit would stare at a ravenous fox, Albus crossed his fingers. His eyes closed, and he felt the hat placed gently upon his head.

"Hmn, another Potter, I see? Your family has all been Gryffindor this far, but perhaps it is time for a change, hmm? What do you think? I sense cunning within you, Albus, and just like your father would have, you could serve Slytherin well."

The hat paused for a moment, and Albus shut his eyes tighter, not wanting to imagine himself in the house of the snake.

There was only a moment of silence before the hat continued, "That is not all I see, however, for you also seem to have a strong sense of loyalty about you and bravery as well. Ah, yes, you most definitely have an air of bravery and boldness, it seems."

A rush of excitement pulsed through the boy's veins as he heard this, and thoughts burst into his head, _Yes, Gryffindor. I must be in Gryffindor. Please let me be in Gryffindor._

The hat heard Albus's thoughts, and smiled wryly before continuing, "Are you sure, Potter? Hufflepuff could use someone like you, you know."

Albus shook his head severely, and McGonagall raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him. The boy's eyes were still glued closed, however, as he communicated via thought to the hat once more. _No, Gryffindor, it must be Gryffindor. Please..._

Considering the boy's request and knowing very well that he fit in with Gryffindor just as much as he did with Slytherin and Hufflepuff, the hat looked up at the crowd. "Very well then," it began, still in silence, "GRYFFINDOR!" Only the last word was shouted aloud.

A loud applause rose from the Gryffindor table, and Albus stood with a huge grin on his face. It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his chest. Professor McGonagall picked up the hat and called the next name, while Albus gleefully strode to his new house's table and took a seat beside his brother. James laughed as his brother approached, and patted him on the back in congratulations.

"Had me worried there for a moment, bro," James joked. "That hat sure took its time."

Albus smiled softly, then replied to his older sibling, "It wasn't sure whether to put me in Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin."

Staring at his younger brother, James spoke with a cheerful banter, "But not Ravenclaw? Guess you're not the brightest one in the bunch, Al."

Albus joined his sibling in a laugh, then after being introduced to a couple of his brother's friends, turned back to watch the sorting. A couple more students were placed into their houses before someone he recognized stepped up to the stool; Scorpius Malfoy. Albus watched quietly as the son of Draco had the hat placed upon his head and slowly shut his smoky gray eyes.

The hat spent some time deciding Malfoy's house as well, which made Albus very curious. He would have guessed that Scorpius would be deemed Slytherin even before the hat touched his head, would have thought that Slytherin was his definite fate. Staring up at the blonde, Albus thought he might go ask him later what the hat had said. No doubt Scorpius would say something rude and nasty in response, though. Albus had heard tales from his father about Draco Malfoy, the sire of young Scorpius. Draco had turned out all right in the end, but before that he had teetered through some pretty unbalanced emotions. Because of these stories, which were indeed true, Albus only thought it only natural for Scorpius to carry his dad's personality along with him.

The Sorting Hat decided after a few minutes of careful consideration, and as was predicted, the pale young boy was sent off toward the Slytherin table, a small smirk plastered on his lips. Watching the other boy walk to the table, Albus still couldn't help but wonder which other house the hat had considered placing him in.

When Rose's turn finally approached, she was shuddering all over. The girl moved shyly up to the stool and inhaled a deep breath before the hat was placed upon her head. It had been there for but a second when it shouted out "RAVENCLAW!" and Albus's heart sank. Rose would not be in his house, then? She was doomed to be Ravenclaw while her entire family tree seemed to be of the Gryffindor house? The boy felt pity for her, and as he met her gaze, he blinked in surprise. Rose looked happy. She didn't look jubilant or anything, but she actually looked _happy_. Sure, an edge of fright iced her stare, but other than that she seemed fine with -- even grateful for -- being in the house of the intelligent and witty. After smiling encouragingly at her, Rose nodded and turned away from her cousin. The Ravenclaw table was cheering in welcome, and she looked relieved that the Sorting was done. Rose had known all along that this would probably be the house she ended up in; she had always been very smart, but a coward as well.

The Sorting soon finished up along with a few more speeches from teachers, and with a happy glance toward James, the small boy began to dish up food off of the silver platters of food that had appeared before them. His eyes were lit with eagerness, and his heart was glowing. Albus had long awaited the day he began his adventure through Hogwarts, and now it had finally come.

**End of prologue / chapter one. Please review! Thanks for reading. **


	2. Chapter 2: Settling In

**Hey! Thanks for sticking with me and reading the second chapter! This is a rather short chapter, set a little while after the Sorting. Albus is in the Gryffindor Common Room and he meets someone new. **

**Enjoy! **

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**CHAPTER TWO. ALBUS'S POINT OF VIEW.**

So, he had succeeded in making it into Gryffindor. All his fears had subsided, and now Albus could relax. As he lounged happily in one of the comfortable chairs in the Common Room, a deep sigh of relief floated from his mouth. For a second, he was _sure_ that the hat was going to put him into Hufflepuff. It seemed like that might have been the best choice. Now, sitting in front of the fireplace, Albus wondered if he had only been allowed into this house because he wanted it so badly. Was he _really_ cut out to be a Gryffindor?

Pushing the thoughts from his head, the boy moved instead to examine his wand, which he was holding tightly in his right hand. It was 10 ¼ inches long, made from redwood and with the core of dragon heartstring. He had already grown quite attached to the thing, and couldn't wait to get to use it. Running his fingers along the smooth red surface, the boy hardly noticed that someone had walked up behind him.

"Um," said the voice, and Albus quickly turned to see who it was.

Standing there was a boy that looked his age, with short brown hair and blue-green eyes. Albus smiled a greeting at him, and then watched as the other did the same before speaking again.

"Umm, I'm Cypress…Cypress Brown. A-are you Albus Potter?" Cypress looked very nervous as he spoke.

"Hi Cypress," said Albus. "Yes, I'm Albus Potter…why?"

"O-oh. I just wanted to say hi," said Cypress quickly, looking aside.

Albus raised an eyebrow at the boy, wondering why he looked so scared. Albus wasn't going to bite him or anything. "Well," he said. "Hi." Smiling at the other, Albus decided that he didn't want their conversation to run dry. "So, are you excited for tomorrow?"

Cypress nodded, and then moved to sit in a chair beside Albus. "Are you?"

"Yes, definitely," said Albus quickly, already thinking of what his classes would be like. "I'm really looking forward to Transfiguration. My brother James says that you get to turn animals into goblets and stuff."

Both the boys shared a laugh at this, then Cypress spoke, "Potions seems like it will be fun too. Professor Edison is supposed to be nice."

Albus nodded. "Yeah, my dad says he's nice."

Just then, another voice broke into the conversation. It was James. "Dad's known Hogwarts' past three Potions Professors, you know.

Albus looked at his brother, narrowing his eyes just slightly. James was always butting in to everything. "I _know_, James."

"Just saying, little bro. There's Edison, then before him ol' Slughorn, then Snape."

Albus ignored the way his brother said "Snape". His brother loved to tease him about being named after the old Potions teacher and Headmaster. Looking over to Cypress, who was wearing a small smile on his features, Albus said, "That's James."

Cypress nodded, then looked over to James. "I'm Cypress."

James just nodded, grinning, and then said nonchalantly, "Well, you two have a nice little chat, then. I'm off to bed."

Watching James walk away, Albus rolled his eyes slightly. "He's such a twit."

Cypress laughed quietly, and then went on, "Well, at least you have a brother. All I have is an annoying twin sister."

"Hah," said Albus, "I have both."

The boys laughed again, and then Albus looked back at his wand. Stifling a yawn, he asked, "So, is your sister in Gryffindor too?"

Cypress shook his head. "No, she's in Ravenclaw."

"Oh," said Albus. "So is my cousin Rose."

Smiling, Cypress replied, "Maybe they'll meet and become friends. I hope Ivy finds some friends soon. She looked devastated when they put her in a different house than me."

"Yeah…," said Albus tiredly, moving his gaze away from his wand and back to Cypress. "Rose seemed fine with it, but I hope she gets friends too."

Cypress's smile widened a bit, and then he stated, "I'm glad that I found a friend."

Upon hearing Cypress's words, a warm feeling filled Albus's body. "Yeah, me too."

The two boys grinned at each other for a moment, before Cypress spoke again, "Well, I want to get a good night's sleep tonight. Tomorrow's going to be a big day."

Albus nodded, replying, "Yeah, me too."

Standing up from his comfortable chair, Cypress stretched his arms. "Night, then," he said smiling.

"Night." Albus, too, stood, and the two boys walked together to the boys' dormitories. They were in separate rooms, so after exchanging another goodnight, they turned and vanished into their dorms. As Albus made his way to his bed, he smiled. Already he had made one friend, and it was only the first night.

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**End of chapter two. Not much happened in this chapter, I know. It was mainly written just to show Albus making a friend, and settling into Hogwarts. **

**- Please Review! 3**


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